High school students' support for First Amendment varies by gender, race

High school student support for the First Amendment has increased slightly over the past 15 years overall, but varies depending on the race and gender of a student and where they reside, according to a study by the Knight Foundation. “High school student views on the First Amendment: Trends in the 21st Century” analyzed seven surveys of students conducted between 2004 and 2018. Beginning in 2011, researchers began to see a gap between what white students and boys thought about First Amendment protections and what girls and students of color believed. That year slightly more girls and students of color said First Amendment protections went too far, while slightly more boys and white students supported First Amendment protections.